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Publication: Common Stressors for Aging Adults
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Try some of the following stress reduction techniques.
relax your body
inhale slowly and deeply
meditate on a single focus
be quiet, turn off the TV
close your eyes
picture a peaceful place or word
visualize a ?mental vacation?
do some of your favorite things
try humor
exercise often
spend time with people you care about and who care about you
consider professional counseling -
Demands of caregiving
difficulty caring for ill spouse or partner
loss of freedom for self and dreams
feeling overwhelmed with responsibility -
Decreased physical ability
loss of ability to live alone
loss of energy
loss of control over daily routine
possible inability to do favorite things
loss of ability to drive safely -
Changes in health
deterioration in health
increased dependence on others
diagnosis of a chronic disease -
Loss of independence
loss of ability to drive safely
lack of transportation services
distance from family and friends
decreased financial independence
increased health care costs -
Loss of purpose
changes due to retirement
loss of being needed
loss of position in community -
Loneliness and isolation
loss of a spouse through death or divorce
loss of family members due to death, relocation, divorce, conflict
loss of friends
loss of a pet
lack of communication with loved ones -
Some major stressors include loneliness, isolation, loss of purpose and independence, and changes in health and physical ability. In addition, those caring for others face extreme stress, tiredness and loneliness.
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Publication: Mental Health and Aging
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Mental health can be affected by:
nutrition
alcohol
exercise
stress
illness
prescriptions
over-the-counter medications
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Stress and Aging
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There are many different habits and practices that can lower the level stress in your life. The most important step is to get a regular medical checkup. A checkup and insure that you are healthy as well as alleviate any minor health problems. Another suggestion from experts is to get married because married people are healthier than single people. Also, if you take a short nap in the middle of your day it will help reduce daily stress. Spending time with friends and building a high quality social network also reduce the stress in your life because of the comfort they can provide (Klatz 1996).
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A study by Lieberman and Peskin said that "Most people do not become mentally ill even when terrible things happen to them" (1992) The way that stress emotionally effects an adult is the occurrence of depression. When women experience depression they are most likely to experience both loss and danger. Depression is a common mental health problem among older adults. This is due somewhat to the occurrence of dementia, disability, physical illness, bereavement, loss of independence and security, and suicide all are much more common in old age, and therefore the occurrence of depression should increase as well. Other factors that contribute to depression are marital status, socioeconomic status, physical health and disability, life stress, and social support (Roberts 1997)
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There are several risk factors that lead to stress and the elderly. Some include a past history of depressive illness, inadequate social support, and serious illnesses such as a stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Some reports have suggested that life stress may also be related to late-life depression (Glass 1997). There are also many internal and external stresses that many women are susceptible to in their fifty's. The possibilities of intra and interpersonal strains make this a time of insecurity about aging for many women. Some of these strains are widowhood, divorce, declining income, aging and developmental changes, obstacles to successful aging, and role constancy (Campbell 1984).
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American Institute of Stress
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This comes from sharing things with strangers, getting things of your
chest, and learning how others have been able to deal with or conquer
the same problem you have. Such groups often provide addition emotional
support by utilizing a "buddy system" -
Lack of
social support has been found to increase death rates following a heart
attack and to delay recovery following cardiac surgery. Conversely, a
happy marriage or good long term relationship at age 50 was a leading
indicator of being healthy at age 80, whereas having a low cholesterol
level had very little significance. -
In some studies involving the elderly, the role of religion is
factored in based on information about attendance at religious
functions, the number of close contacts who were readily available from
religious sources and determining the strength and comfort that were
derived from religious activities. This can be important since senior
citizens have progressively less social support at they age due the
increased loss of friends and often tend to rely more on religious
sources to make up for this. -
With respect to just exactly what social support means, perhaps one of
the best definitions was given by the psychiatrist Sidney Cobb. He
proposed that social support was a subjective sensation in which the
individual feels, "That he is cared for and loved. That he is esteemed
and valued; That he belongs to a network of communication and mutual
obligation." There are a variety of ways to measure social support. The
Social Network Questionnaire includes items about marriage, children, a
significant other or confidant, other relatives, friends and
participation in social or community activities that may involve
strangers. The Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors inquires
about the type and amount of support these sources provide with respect
to emotional, informational and financial benefits -
It's possible to be alone but not lonely. Conversely, you can be in the
company of others and still feel isolated. Some people may seem to have
a large circle of "friends" but the majority are merely acquaintances
who do not provide social support. Emotional support can also be
obtained from pets, a firm belief in a specific religion, or being
involved in supporting a cause, sports team, or celebrity with
strangers who have a similar allegiance. Caring for someone can provide
mutual emotional support and even tending to fish or plants may provide
benefits.
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American Institute of Stress is dedicated to advancing understanding of Stress in Health and Illness.
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Increased stress increases productivity – up to a point, after which things rapidly deteriorate, and that level also differs for each of us.
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Stress is difficult for scientists to define because it is a subjective sensation associated with varied symptoms that differ for each of us
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Job Stress
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Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems.
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26 percent of workers said they were "often or very often burned out or stressed by their work";
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29% of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work;
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Three fourths of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago;
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25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives;
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40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful;
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The NIOSH report on the right is an excellent resource that cites the following: 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful;25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives;Three fourths of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago;29% of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work;26 percent of workers said they were "often or very often burned out or stressed by their work";Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems.
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NIOSH Publication : 99-101 | STRESS...At Work
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Analysis of the survey data suggested that three types of job conditions
were linked to stress complaints among workers:
Unrealistic deadlines
Low levels of support from supervisors
Lack of worker involvement in decision-making. -
How to Change the Organization to Prevent Job Stress
Ensure that the workload is in line with workers' capabilities
and resources.
Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities
for workers to use their skills.
Clearly define workers' roles and responsibilities.
Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions
affecting their jobs.
Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development
and future employment prospects.
Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.
Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities
outside the job. -
As a general rule, actions to reduce job stress should give top priority
to organizational change to improve working conditions. But even the most
conscientious efforts to improve working conditions are unlikely to eliminate
stress completely for all workers. For this reason, a combination of organizational
change and stress management is often the most useful approach for preventing
stress at work. -
An organizational culture that values the individual worker
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Management actions that are consistent with organizational values
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An organizational culture that values the individual worker
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Opportunities for career development
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Recognition of employees for good work performance
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NIOSH research
has identified organizational characteristics associated with both healthy,
low-stress work and high levels of productivity. Examples of these characteristics
include the following:
Recognition of employees for good work performance
Opportunities for career development
An organizational culture that values the individual worker
Management actions that are consistent with organizational values -
Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body
for defensive action. The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released
to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the
muscles. This response (sometimes called the fight or flight response) is
important because it helps us defend against threatening situations. -
According to one school of thought, differences in individual characteristics
such as personality and coping style are most important in predicting whether
certain job conditions will result in stress-in other words, what is stressful
for one person may not be a problem for someone else. -
Although the importance of individual differences cannot be ignored, scientific
evidence suggests that certain working conditions are stressful to most people.
The excessive workload demands and conflicting expectations described in
David's and Theresa's stories are good examples.
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Clinical depression - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Anxiety - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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